No, the Catholic Church states that our salvation is through Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (page 160, paragraph #615) states: "By his obedience unto death, Jesus accomplished the substitution of the suffering Servant, who 'makes himself an offering for sin,' when 'he bore the sin of many,' and who 'shall make many to be accounted righteous,' for 'he shall bear their iniquities.' Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father."
Of course! However, that is not the issue. The issue is how is the provision received? Catholicism has devised a series of mediators THROUGH which that provision is received whereas the scriptures teach that Justification is the imputation of righteosness and remission of sins and it is received by grace alone through faith alone directly from Christ rather than through a series of mediators - sacraments.
Again, as it has been stated over and over on this board, Catholics believe that we are saved by grace alone.
Every cult believes in "grace" as they define it. Rome is just another cult that perverts the Biblical definition of "grace." Rome simply defines grace to include "good works" and calls them "works of grace."
However, Romans 4 explicitly deals with the "ungodly" person justified by faith from a theological perspective in a systematic fashion and that is one reason all those who adopt Rome's model of justification do not like to deal with Romans 4 but rather flee to James 2 where "one of you" or a justified, regenerated, baptized church member is the subject and justification is dealt with from a pragmatic perspective where pragmatic illustrations are first presented and a pragmatic approach is then followed ("shew me...shew you....see how....) finalized by more pragmatic illustrations. Of course there is no such thing as "one of you" (church member) or a justified man who is not equally a regenerated man created in Christ "unto good works."
However, Romans 4 deals with Justification by faith systematically and theologically separate from regeneration and its "good works" and it precisely denies that the one being justified or "the ungodly" participates with or provides any kind of assistance in receiving justification (Rom. 4:16-21) but explicitly denies justifying faith is ACTING but rather RECEIVING and RESTING upon what God promises and provides by His own power (Rom. 4:21).
There is nothing we can do to earn heaven. Christ died to redeem everyone, but not everyone will accept God's gift of HIs grace.
The key word in your statement is "accept" as you define it as ACTIVE PARTICIPATION or "faithfulness" to submission to the Church and to sacraments. You do not define it Biblical as RECEIVING and RESTING in God's power to provide God's promise as defined by Paul in Romans 4:21.
Catholics understand that the bible does not teach that we're saved by faith alone (Jas. 2:14–17).
Another perverted and deceptive statement. Baptist do not limit "salvation" to justification either.
James speaks of "one of you" or a person who has been born again, justified by faith and is a baptized member of the congregation rather than the "ungodly" person that Paul is dealing with.
Such a person is not merely justified by faith but has been also "created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works" (Eph. 2:10) and therefore his profession of justification by faith must accompany "good works" as in such a person there can be no justification where there is not also regeneration and therefore there can no faith where there is not also "works."
We are saved by faith working through love (Gal. 5:6).
Gal. 5:6 does not even use the word "saved." Paul is talking about a progress not a past tense "savED" completed action. That progressive work is called sanctification. He is contrasting it to circumcision. Circumcision is a symbol of regeneration:
Gal. 6:15
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Faith and love are fruits of the regenerate new inward man and progressive sanctification is "faith worketh by love."
Here is the crux of Rome's error! It erases any distinction between justification by faith and sanctification by love.
After all, can someone really get to heaven without loving God or our fellow man? That's why 1 Cor. 13:13 say that love is greater than faith? After all, if salvation is the greatest thing we can achieve, and it is by faith alone that we achieve salvation, then faith should be greater than love. But the Bible says differently.
Notice your careful words "WE CAN ACHEIVE." However, justification is something only God can acheive - Rom. 4:21. However, regeneration is only something God can acheive - Eph. 2:10 - "CREATED in Christ Jesus."
1 Corinthians 13:13 is in a context that does not deal with justification by faith or regeneration but rather spiritual gifts of which faith is a fruit of the Spirit and a by product of regeneration. So your whole argument is based upon jerking a term out of context where it has nothing to do with justification or regeneration. Sanctification is faith working by love called faithfulness to Christ. However, justification is faith IN Christ. The former is WHAT YOU DO FOR CHRIST whereas the latter is WHAT CHRIST DOES FOR YOU and that is the vital difference between "another gospel" and the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is all a matter of proper cause and effects.
